


The Split 2;Electric Boogaloo (The Divide)

by A_tiny_star_prince



Series: In the End [2]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Creativetwins, Creativity Split (Sanders Sides), Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders Angst, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders Has ADHD, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders Needs a Hug, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders is a Mess, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders-centric, Crying, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders Angst, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders is a Sweetheart, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders-centric, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Insecure Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Kid Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Kid Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Kid Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Kid Deceit | Janus Sanders, Kid Logic | Logan Sanders, Kid Morality | Patton Sanders, Kid Thomas Sanders, Post-Creativity Split (Sanders Sides), Pre-Creativity Split (Sanders Sides), Remus Sanders is a Good Brother, Roman Sanders is a Good Brother, Story within a Story, Sympathetic Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Sympathetic Deceit | Janus Sanders, Unsympathetic Morality | Patton Sanders, Winged Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:13:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25252183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_tiny_star_prince/pseuds/A_tiny_star_prince
Summary: Everyone always talks about the first time Creativity split.What about the second time?~~~Aka; Roman and Remus are still hurting, and Patton is to blame.(This is Unsympathetic Patton with no real redemption so if you don't like that, do not read)(Takes place after Icarus (In the End), I suggest you read this before continuing)(Set after SvS; Redux)
Relationships: Anxiety & Creativity & Dark Creativity & Deceit & Logic & Morality & Thomas (Sanders Sides), Anxiety & Creativity & Dark Creativity & Deceit & Logic & Morality (Sanders Sides), Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Everyone
Series: In the End [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1826173
Comments: 15
Kudos: 78





	1. Good Morning

At breakfast, Roman decided he needed to ask. He approached Patton in the kitchen, glancing at Virgil, who had just wandered downstairs and was entering the kitchen for his first cup of coffee. Logan already had his, sitting at the table as he did a few puzzles in a new sudoko book, Janus seated next to him drinking some tea he’d brought up from the 'Dark side' (Roman would have to ask for the name later, it smelled rather good), quietly reading a book. His brother was sitting at the table, chattering to Janus, who would make small comments on his ramblings with a fond smile. Roman swallowed and turned back to Patton, feeling Virgil’s eyes on him, the damn emo leaning against the counter now as he watched him. 

Patton was humming as he flipped pancakes, and Roman swallowed, mind filling with thoughts as the seconds ticked by. Roman felt something hit his arm, startling out of the ocean of thoughts he'd started to sink into. He looked up to see Virgil giving him a hard look, concern shining in his dark colored eyes. The emo raised a brow, tilting his head slightly as he made a small gesture directed at Roman. 

_‘Everything okay?’_

Roman shrugged and looked away, not responding with the usual nod or faint smile, instead just scrunching his nose up a bit as if thinking. Virgil frowned at the lack of answer, of a god answer really, glancing at Patton once more. He sipped his coffee, watching the two carefully. 

The prince finally gathered enough courage to speak, plastering on a smile, attempting confidence. “Hey padre!” he grinned, and Patton turned around to give him a sunny smile before returning to look at the pancakes still on the griddle. 

“Good morning kiddo!” he smiled, and Roman felt his stomach twist. “Breakfast will be ready in five, why don’t you take a seat?” The fatherly side spoke in a way that was less of a suggestion and more of an order, still sweet as sugar. It made Roman's stomach twist more. 

Roman nodded “Um, actually, I need to ask you something, Pat,” he said, attempting to keep a cheery voice. His hands were shaking and he forced them still, wanting to fidget with them, anxiety buzzing under his skin. 

Patton tilted his head and grinned. “What’s on your mind kiddo?” he asked, looking at Roman, giving him his full attention. Unknown to the prince, his words had caught Logan and Janus’s attention, both setting down their respective papers to glance over. Remus, feeling Roman’s nerves, paused his speech to observe his twin, concern silencing him as it had ever since Roman’s fall in the Imagination. 

“Well um… I know we have a discussion with Thomas today and I uh… I have something I want us to discuss? If that’s alright,” he said, a bit rushed, attempting not to stumble over his words. Virgil gave him a worried look as Roman started to twist his fingers, eyes not focused on Patton’s own blue ones, but his lips. 

Patton hummed and plated the plancakes. “Well, for one, look at me when you’re speaking Ro,” he said, voice sweet, but Roman just nodded and looked away, one hand squeezing and twisting his fingers a bit harder. “Secondly, sure! Now go sit down, breakfast will be ready in just a moment!” Patto chirped, smilingly brightly. 

Roman nodded and walked to the table, sitting down next to Remus, who gave the rest of the table’s occupants a confused look. Virgil joined them as Remus moved his chair over and leaned on Roman, who made a disgruntled noise at the intrusion, before he began to relax under the pressure his twin provided. 

~~~

“So, what did you want to talk about kiddo?” Patton asked in a cheery voice, watching Roman wring his hands, gaze anywhere but the father figure. They were having that discussion, the one Roman seemed to be nervous about, and it was clear for all to see just how _anxious_ the prince had gotten. He could barely manage to look anyone close to the eye and it seemed like he would try, fail, and start cracking his knuckles one finger at a time over and over, even if they didn't crack, repeating the motion over and over again. 

Roman swallowed and looked down, gathering his words up. He felt like there was something buzzing under his skin, like he needed to move. It didn’t hurt, per-say, but it made him want to squeeze his hands and crack his wrists again and again till it died down, but the movement was too much, he had to stay _still_ darn it.“I... I think we should rearrange the Mindscape again,” he said eventually, finding his voice, weak as it was. 

Patton frowned and a crease formed between his brows as he tilted his head to consider what Roman said. Logan blinked and straightened his glasses a bit, the slightest twitch to his expression as he wondered where Roman meant to go with this. Remus seemed to know what he was talking about, not doing more than watching Roman, a fact Janus notes as he too wondered about Roman's concern. 

“Rearrange?” Virgil questioned, chewing at his bottom lip. ‘That uh.. That seems like a big deal,” he commented. ‘ _A big change’_ went unsaid as the emo shifted in his hoodie, playing with the sleeves. 

“Indeed, why has this become a concern just now, Roman?” Logan asked, getting right to the point. He looked at the creative side, and Roman swallowed, skin prickling under his gaze. He felt like everyone was staring at him, and unlike when he performed he did not like this _at all_. 

“There's uh… not a huge reason, really,” he admitted, one hand raising up to fidget with his sash. Remus raised a brow and Janus offered an unamused look, though it softened some as he watched the prince toy with his outfit, as if attempting to find the right words. 

Patton sighed softly and Roman snapped back to attention, making Remus scrunch his nose up. The duke gently punched Roman’s shoulder, making a few hand movements that consisted of him twirling his hands and then bringing them to his chest and out, spreading his fingers as he drew them away in a fluid motion to gesture to the rest of the group. Roman offered a small head nod in return, before turning his attention to the others. 

“I think we should change the lay-out, not a ton,” he added, glancing at Virgil, eyes flicking briefly to Patton’s face as he went back to looking at the group as a whole. “Just… make a few adjustments. Get rid of the “darkside” “lightside” divide and have us all living in the same area again,” he explained, glancing at them all, the closest he'd gotten to even looking them all in the eyes for even a moment. 

Patton frowned. “Why? The set up has been fine for years Roman,” he said, less curious and more accusatory if anything. The moral side stared harder at Roman, who shrunk away under his gaze. Patton just waited, still staring. 

“I… I want things to go back to the way they were,” Roman said, looking away from them all and ad a spot on the wall, a weight to his gaze. “Before… the divide.”

“The divide?” Thomas questioned, looking between Roman and Patton, then at Logan. “What are you talking about, Roman?” he asked, curious. 

Roman toyed with his bottom lip, and Remus turned his head to glare a hole into the carpet, both twins not answering. Janus blinked and glanced at Patton, then Thomas. 

“You know about The Split, right?” he asked, receiving a nod in return. “Well… the divide was what happened after,” he explained, and Thomas frowned. 

“So what happened?” their host asked, and Janus swallowed, glancing at Virgil, who shared a nervous look with him. “Janus, what are you not telling me?” Thomas asked again, concerned fear leaking into his voice. 

Logan stepped up. “If I may, Thomas,” he interjected, catching his attention. “It is a little more complex than The Split,” he started, before he was cut off by a scoff. 

Remus looked up and rolled his eyes. “That’s bullshit,” he hissed as everyone turned to look at him, and beside him, Roman curled in to himself more, gaze still averted. “We all know how the fucking _divide_ happened, we don’t even know why we split!” he threw his hands in the air, and Roman flinched. The duke drew back quickly at it and rubbed his temples. "I'd call that pretty fucking complex, no knowing an entire mind-changing event," he added. 

“So… what did happen then?” Thomas asked after a moment were neither side spoke, looking at the sides with confusion. “‘Cause all I have so far is that according to Logic it's simple, and according to you, it’s not, so what gives?” he asked Remus, brows furrowed. 

Patton sighed. “We should sit down for this,” he said to the group, not looking at Thomas, brows also drawn. A tense cloud hovered over him, and Thomas narrowed his eyes with thinly veiled concern. 

There was a murmur of agreement as the sides and their rather perplexed and concerned host migrated to the couch. They awkwardly sat down, much like they did weeks ago to watch Frozen, though this time Remus had taken place near Roman, sitting in front of him as if to act as a barrier between him and the other sides, Janus had switched spots with Patton, the moral side sitting where logan had, and Logan now sitting on Virgil’s right side, Thomas’s left. 

Thomas looked at his sides and frowned, letting out a puff of air. “Alright… so, the Split?” he asked, biting his lip. 

Logan glanced at Roman and Remus quickly as if to check something, nodding as he turned to Thomas. “Before we talk about The Split, we should tell you about him,” he said, voice oddly morse. 

“Who?” the host asked though he felt he knew the answer already. 

“The King,” came Remus and Roman's reply, their oddly dull voices in sync. “King Creativity.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact!  
> Dukes have more power than Princes, because a Prince is a title earned by birth and a Duke is a title given.  
> Princes are born, Dukes are made. 
> 
> I suggest you take this to mind as the story progresses.


	2. Our King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The past is a strange and sorrowful thing when one remembers what once was, and what will never be again.  
> There is beauty in the old.  
> And there is sadness in remembering what destroyed it.

Logan pushed his glasses up and glanced at the room, something shining in the logical side's eye. Nostalgia, Thomas realized, as odd as it seemed. 

“When you were younger… we weren’t as specific as we are now,” Logan started. “In fact, we didn’t have names, we didn’t know them. As you grew, so did we, and so did our understanding of ourselves; our roles, our meaning, our titles, our names.” As he spoke, the group shifted, relaxing. Roman let his wings appear to wrap around him, and Remus had wrapped his tentacles around his twin, both of them close to each other in a way that seemed very right in Thomas’s mind, if not… nostalgic to view. 

“When we first formed, we didn’t know what to call each other,” Logan continued, and Thomas focused his attention on the tie-clad side, nodding. 

“So what did you call each other?” he asked, wondering what kind of names they’d have if they didn't have, well, names. 

Logan chuckled knowingly, a nice sound coming from him and one Thomas now wanted to hear again, and smiled. “We called each other colors. The color was our aura, you can’t quite see it here as this isn’t the mindscape, but when we first formed in your head we all seemed to glow a certain color. That color is one we tend to identify with, and rarely changes unless the change is very strong,” Logan describes. 

Virgil nodded and looked up a bit. “I was purple, for a bit, till like what- high school?” He asked, scrunching up his nose. “Yeah, in high school I kinda went all dark and emo, and uh, I only really got purple again when you dyed your hair,” he mumbled, voice growing a bit softer as he offered up a small smile to Thomas, ducking his head down to hide it only seconds after. 

Thomas found himself grinning back, glad to see the emo loosen up some- the tension in the room slowly ebbing away. He glanced at the rest of his sides, pausing at Roman and Remus. Both seemed to be paying attention to Logan, though Remus was playing it off by looking away once and a while, toying with what looked like some sort of toy- a Tangle..? Yes, and Remus held a small fidget cube, twisting it around and rubbing his thumb over the buttons. He turned back to Logan to focus again, a strange sadness welling in his chest. 

“Indeed Virgil, as stated, you went through a change. I myself have grown several shades darker, Patton has grown to give off a slightly more teal aura than the light blue he started with, and Janus has recently begun to glow a honey-gold color,” Logan listed. “As you can see, our auras were a huge part of us, which is why King was so different to us,” Logan said, and Thomas pretended he didn’t notice the way the twins’ gazes seemed to snap up to Logan in sync. 

“What was different about King?” Thomas asked softly, causing Janus to chuckle fondly and shake his head. 

“Everything,” the deceitful side spoke, eyes turning to him. “Everything about him was… so strange. Like our resident nerd here mentioned-“ he gestured to Logan with a gloved hand, “-we all formed in the mindscape. It was a strange place because you were a baby and we were all children with no names and just glowing colors and a white void. However you started growing up, and the mindscape became your home. Ever wonder why the commons is a copy of your apartment just…” he sighed and made a gesture with his hands, forming a ball and then shrugging. “Different? That’s because where your home is, that is the mindscape. As a baby you knew nothing of the details, barely remembered what your house looked like- but as you grew you seemed to understand it more. Such a silly concept, no?” He chuckled, and Thomas smiled. 

“But King… he did not form with us,” Janus continued, and the nostalgic tone of his voice seemed to have some sway on the twins once more, drawing them closer to listen. “Oh no, he wasn’t there- quite confusing to think of when we wondered if there was a Red and a Green,” he sighed. 

“Although,” Logan interjected, straightening his glasses. “We can suppose that while he didn’t form with us, and we did not find him till later, he was still there,” He explained, causing Thomas to tilt his head. 

“We discovered King when you were about six or seven,” Logan explained, summoning a whiteboard. He drew on it one timeline, and titled it, “ **Thomas’s Age** ”, then made a marker at the end for “0” and then at the other end for “31”. He marked down the hash-marks on this line and titled them with every number from 0-31, and with a blue-colored marker he drew a point on the dash mark between age six and seven titled “ **Discovery of King Creativity** ”. 

“This,” Logan gestured to the board, “-is the timeline of events as far as we have told you, excluding when we formed as that is a time we do not know,” he stated. “As you can see, we discovered the King when you were around six or seven, but it can be theorized he existed beforehand for around this long,” he said, summoning a red marker and drawing a line that started at the age of three and ended at the point previously marked for the discovery of the King. 

“Okay,” Thomas blinked and shook his head a bit. “Okay, so, how did you find him?” he asked, raising a brow. This was all a bit complex, and he could see it interested his other sides as well, but the question remained. “Why did it take so long to find him anyways? And when you did, where was he?”

“All in due time, kiddo,” Patton spoke up in an attempt to be reassuring, giving him a shaky smile. His morality had summoned what seemed to be hot chocolate, sipping it every so often as if to quell his nerves. 

“It was no fault of ours, nor his,” Logan continued, brushing past Patton’s words as if he had not spoken at all. “When you were around six, you read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, no?” He asked, receiving a nod. “At that point, our mindscape was still somewhat new. It was much like your house, just more bedrooms and when we wished to eat the food was already ready as you didn’t know how to cook and the laws of the physical world and all didn’t seem to apply,” Logan said, straightening his tie as he gestured with one hand at the area around him. He brought his hands back to his lap and continued. “As everything was new, it took longer for us to notice changes, because everything was changing. Therefore, when a wardrobe appeared in the hallway, it took a while before we thought to investigate.”

“I found it,” Virgil spoke up, raising his hand slightly before dropping it. “Thought it was weird, decided to tell Logan since at the time he was the smart one,” he said, shrugging. 

Logan nodded in agreement and gave Virgil a small smile. “Yes, Virgil told me about his findings and we all discussed what the closet could be, unsure about entering.”

Janus scoffed softly and let out a laugh. “I’m sorry, by discuss I think you mean to say that you thought it was just a closet, Virgil was scared there was a monster in it, Patton didn’t care and wanted to check it out because of the book, and I settled it by saying we should at least open it because I wanted a new jacket,” he grinned, earning two snorts of laughter from Patton and Virgil. Thomas grinned and gave Logan a look, raising a brow at the logical side’s sudden fluster, his cheeks tinting pink. 

“Yes, well, in the end, we went to investigate the wardrobe, and much like the book, we found ourselves in someplace entirely new,” Logan sighed, adjusting his glasses. At this, the twins grinned in understanding. “We found your imagination,” he clarified to Thomas, and their host nodded in understanding. 

“What was it like?” he asked, and with his question came an air of nostalgia, the feeling causing all sides present to share a look that was indecipherable to their host, and the twins to curl closer to each other, like children hearing a story before bed as they curled into their covers. 

“It was… big,” Janus spoke, smiling softly as he gazed at something unseen by the rest. “Very big. But smaller than it is now,” he murmured, glancing down at Remus and Roman. 

“And it was pretty,” Patton added, a wistful gaze to his eyes. “There were flowers, and trees, and the sky was always gorgeous, always a soft blue at day, and at night it was the prettiest sunset.” The moral side smiled down at his cup. “Everything looked… painted. Like an old Disney movie,” Patton murmured, and Thomas felt a warmth in his chest at the idea of it. 

Virgil nodded. “And that’s how we found him, he was just… sitting in the field we entered, picking flowers… even I felt relaxed there,” he chuckled, shaking his head softly. “It… was so different.”

Remus and Roman were silent, strange looks on their faces. The two watched their fellow sides as they described the Imagination as it once was, wondering what they would have felt had they seen it. Wondering what it looked like, it was different now, so different, different even to them when they first saw it. Their silence caught Thomas’s eyes, and he glanced at them. He felt his heart constrict some, a tender pity filling his heart as he watched them listen with gazes that did not see much, so caught up in the idea of what once was. They never knew him, they never saw him… they never saw this. Thomas couldn’t help but feel bad for his two creativities, who seemed to know nothing of what they had once been, who looked to be hearing this the first time. 

He didn’t question himself when he asked, “And what was he like?” The words tumbled from his lips, catching the drifting attention of the two twins. 

Janus hummed in thought, trying to capture the words to answer. “He was… special. Different. He changed constantly, like his aura- oh his aura Thomas,” Janus smiled fondly, recalling a memory. “It was so colorful, like a rainbow of light- it changed so often, I had never seen the same pattern twice,” he described with audible wonder. 

“Indeed, he was quite… colorful,” Logan admitted, letting out a breath as he chuckled. “He never had the same outfit twice, really, always a new crown, a new cape,” Logan described, shaking his head. “He even managed to get us all to make our own once, I believe, if my memory serves well… It was strange how different he was, but we didn’t care. It was to be expected, he was Creativity, he was more than us in the way he could control the imagination, summon things, he fueled you in your hopes and dreams and ideas, he was… always more,” he said, his miniature ramble trailing off with a sigh, a strange heaviness to it that filled Thomas with a cloudy sense of sorrow. 

“And then everything changed,” Virgil murmured, voice startlingly soft. “You changed. And so did he.” 

His words appeared to affect the other sides; Patton curling closer to himself, staring into his mug of lukewarm hot chocolate, Logan looking away as he straightened his tie, Janus adjusting his gloves as he leaned back and looked at the twins. Roman and Remus linked hands, the latter rubbing his thumb over his twin’s fingers as Roman gazed down, missing the concern Remus held in his eyes as he watched his counterpart sadden. 

Thomas didn’t have to question it, he could assume what it was that had caused his normally energetic sides to become so subdued, so beaten down with time, but he did despite that all. “What happened?” He asked, voice soft. 

“King split,” Patton responded, sorrow lacing his tongue. “And you grew up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 is done and is also 6 pages long in my google doc with the font Lato size 12 with the 1.5 spacing, in comparison to chapters 1 and 2 which made up the previous 7 pages before it, so that bodes well.  
> I apologize as this does not mean in any way the story will be done there. 
> 
> Don't hesitate to tell in the comments me if there are spelling mistakes I missed! I appreciate any constructive criticism.


	3. Young

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They were only children 
> 
> Children make mistakes 
> 
> ———  
> ((Tw: yelling, Patton gets called out))

“When you were younger, you were taught what was right and wrong,” Logan explained. “And as you grew you learned to differentiate what was good and bad, from what the media and the world and your parents told you. And as that happened, you grew up, you changed, and in response as did we.”

Janus nodded in agreement, sighing. “When you were around nine, something changed. Without our knowledge or understanding, King split,” he said softly. 

“To this day we don’t know how or why,” Logan picked back up, marking his whiteboard at the hash-mark for nine with a point he labeled “ **The Split** ”.

Thomas frowned and glanced at Remus and Roman. “But… what about you guys? You… don’t remember?” 

The twins shook their heads. “I don’t remember anything,” Roman said softly as Remus said, “Nope!” popping the “p”. Despite the grin on the duke’s face, his eyes were troubled and he held Roman closer, squeezing their hands. 

“Every time we think of it, it changes,” Roman said, rubbing his face with his free hand. “Sometimes I think we had unfused like in Steven Universe.”

“Sometimes I think we had to claw out of each other like in a horror film!” Remus added on, grinning. 

“Sometimes we simply just popped into existence and replaced him.” 

“Sometimes we melted like snowmen and formed into each other!” 

“Sometimes I think he was sliced in half with a sword and formed two halves that grew into us.”

“Sometimes I think someone took his right hand and another took his left and they pulled till we separated.”

Thomas frowned and his heart clenched in sympathy for the two, who listed off more methods of ways they could have split. They had no memory of it, they didn’t know if it was painful, if it was gentle, if he wanted it or if it was forced. 

“The first thing I remember is… waking up,” Roman admitted, shifting his wings to curl around him more. “And I remember laying in the sun, with Remus… and I remember crying.”

Remus nodded sagely, dramatic as always, but there was a serious gaze to his eyes. “I remember waking up with Roman in the same field, and I remember being confused. I remember hugging him and trying to figure out what was wrong… trying to make him stop crying.” 

“You cried…?” Patton asked, heartbreak ringing in his voice. Remus looked up and glared at him, making the moral side flinch back, his hands hovering over his mouth. 

“He did, so I tried to make him feel better; not like you cared, Morality,” the duke replied, sneering. Patton averted his eyes under the ruby-red gaze directed at him. 

Roman squeezed Remus’s hand and sighed. “I don’t even know why I was crying,” he said softly, glancing at Patton before looking away. “It was all so overwhelming yet familiar, waking up in that field, I guess… I guess I just couldn’t handle it," Roman murmured, biting his lips. 

“So what happened next?” Thomas asked them, and the story shifted its narrator to the twins. After all, it was their story, it just required the missing pieces to be filled in to finish it. 

Remus shrugged. “Nothing much,” he hummed. “We had a bedroom, and a castle, so we set up with titles and names and stuff, and just kinda went with it. We didn’t really know what had happened, all we knew was that this was our home, we were brothers, and that the others existed.”

“So… you really had none of his old memories?” Virgil asked, tilting his head a bit as he picked at his sleeves. 

Roman shook his head. “None. Not really, all we had was vague ideas, and concepts… We knew who you all were of course, but _we_ had never met you.”

“All we had left of him was a picture,” Remus admitted, twisting his hands to summon a piece of paper. “This. A drawing Thomas made of him, really old with barely any detail, I guess he must have really liked it because it was framed about his throne,” He explained, showing them all the drawing. A stick-figure with a red shirt and brown pants was holding the hands of another stick-figure, who wore a grey shirt and black pants and had a long rainbow cape. He had what could be assumed to be puffy sleeves if the scribbles were anything to go by, and a green sash. On his head was a gold crown with lots of different colored gems drawn on. They were walking through what seemed like a field, to a castle drawn on the left that rested on a green hill, waving a red flag. Behind them was a forest, where the trees were drawn all old and stiff, with dark colored crayons. The sky had been scribbled a bright blue, but the artist had been as careful as he could have been when he colored around the sun that shone in the corner above the castle, and around the rainbow that was curving up from behind the forest. It was crude in a way all children’s drawings are, yet loved in the way there were so many details, individually drawn flowers and even bees, smiles on the faces of the stick figures, even the sun. 

Remus snapped it away and Roman took over telling the story. “We did make a painting of him... What we assumed he would be, and we framed it next to the drawing in the castle- it's just a portrait of what we got when we tried to combine ourselves,” he explained. “And then we split the throne, and that was that,” he sighed. “We added our own pictures above our thrones, made sure the drawing and his picture was between them and above us, and left it at that. Thats… thats all we could do,” he shrugged. 

Thomas felt sympathy well in his stomach again, as well as a deep-set sadness — a guilt. The drawing was his, he could remember it dimly if he tried.

There was a joy at knowing it was treasured by the person he made it for, and a sadness at knowing that person was now two, two people who did not understand yet treasured it the same way- or at least attempted to. Despite their unknowing of who they had once been, they still tried to do what they thought he would want. It must have been hard to figure him out alone, with only each other and old mementos as reference. 

“Thank you,” the host said, catching twin looks of surprise. He smiled in return. “I didn’t know it meant that much… I’m glad you kept it.” The sadness and guilt ebbed away at the soft smiles he received in turn, but not by much. 

Logan cleared his throat, catching their attention. “As said before, we don’t know why King split, but judging on what happened next, it is a possibility that there was simply too much of him for him to handle,” He said, flipping the whiteboard in his hands over to another side. 

“The king had a changing aura, and a changing style,” he noted, drawing a circle and labeling it “ **King** ” on the inside. He then summoned a red-colored marker and a green-colored marker. “Perhaps the split was not a conscious thought, or two sides being pulled apart due to differences, or even two beings finally splitting up. Perhaps due to his own nature, his own greatness, a single form was just not enough to represent your creativity,” Logan said, drawing a red circle and a green circle below the first one, labeling them “ **Roman** ” and “ **Remus** ” respectively. “When we did discover the two,” he turned back to the first chart and made a point at age nine and a half labeled “ **Discovery of Twins** ” before flipping back to the circles, “-it was also noted that the imagination seemed to have doubled in size. Perhaps the split was to make more room for your creativity, and in doing so the King split to become the twins, both acting as creativity. It would be a mess if the King grew to have a smaller imagination and retained all aspects of Creativity, the good and evil, the dark and light, horror and fantasy, the likes. By splitting, the strain of just how creative one can be was split near evenly among the two, thus balancing your creative mind,” Logan said, before waving a hand and sighing.

“That is of course only a theory and really is up for debate, but it does explain a possible reason as to why there are twins. As well as that it could explain why Roman’s sole job is not creativity but also the Ego, passion, hopes and dreams, romance the likes,” he continued. “And it also explains why Remus may have the job of darker areas of creativity, and other things like sexual desires, intrusive thoughts, and the other form of passion.” 

After this explanation from the logical side, Thomas nodded and glanced at the twins. “That… makes sense, I guess, but I suppose we’ll never know,” he mumbled, rubbing his eyes as he took a deep breath. “Okay, okay, so,” the host mumbled and opened his eyes. “I think I get who the King is, and the Split, but what is this other thing, the “divide” you guys mentioned earlier,” he asked, and a look of pain filtered across the twin’s faces, both looking away. 

Patton shifted in his seat and spoke up after being unusually quiet. “That uh… That’s kinda my fault,” he mumbled. 

Thomas frowned. “Oh Pat… I’m sure it's not totally _your_ fau-”

“Oh its _his **fucking**_ _fault_ alright,” Remus growled, and everyone’s heads snapped to see the enraged duke glaring daggers at Patton, Roman curled up in his wings beside him. “ _He_ is the _entire_ reason the mindscape _is_ the way it is!” 

“What does-” Thomas started, but Patton cut him off. 

“I was just trying to help Thomas!” he snapped back, his quietness giving way to anger. “Everything was _fine_ , it wasn’t a big deal!”

“Not a big deal?!” Remus growled and shot up, and everyone, sans Patton, recoiled at the way the duke’s eyes seemed to be burning with rage, shining the color of freshly spilled blood. “Oh I’d say it’s a _big deal!_ I’d say moving everyone around and forcing us all to separate was a pretty big deal, _Padre_.” He stalked over to Patton, morningstar appearing in hand. 

Patton stood up and glared at him, meeting him halfway as he stalked over. “It had to be done,” he said sternly, staring up at Remus. 

The duke snarled at him before a manic light filled his gaze and his lips twisted into a smile that was all too wide and all too insane. “Oh- oh it _had_ to be done?” He giggled, hands shaking as he turned around and twirled the morning star in his hands. “Oh you _had_ to separate us _by thROWING US INTO A FUCKING_ **_PIT_ ** _!!??”_ he laughed maniacally, screaming at the end as he spun around. 

His voice made Virgil flinch as he pulled his hood up over his face. 

He continued despite it. “Oh you **_had_ ** _to separate us so Thomas_ ‘Can be good and happy and perfect’, _is_ **_that_ ** _whAT YOU_ **_WANTED_ ** _?!?!”_ He mocked in a sugary sweet voice, holding his hands up to his cheeks before throwing them down as he screamed. “ _Cause you_ **_had_ ** _to TEAR_ **_ME_ ** _and my FUCKING_ **_BROTHER AWAY_ ** _, IS THAT WHAT YOU_ **_HAD_ ** _TO DO?!?!?!??!”_ He shouted, eyes wide as he glared at Patton, chest heaving with the effort. Tears had formed in his eyes, and with a rough jab Remus rubbed them away, even as they continued to form and smear his eyeshadow as they rolled down his cheeks. 

Thomas stared at the two sides with wide eyes, watching the duke shake with anger and sadness. He watched as Patton’s face paled through the screams, watched the anger drain from his face as horror replaced it. He only briefly noted that he was shaking as well. 

He watched, silent, as Remus sneered at Patton and threw his morningstar away, walking back to his now shaking twin and sitting down next to him. He watched as Patton sat down, eyes wide as he looked down at the carpet, breathing through his hands. 

Logan watched the whole thing with a blank look, the only emotion in his eyes being guilt when he heard what Remus had screamed. Virgil watched their fight from under his hair, curled into a ball on the couch, his worn sleeves covering his hands and hands covering his face as if to protect himself, terror in his eyes- an old, already felt terror that he shared with Janus. Janus, who had watched with terror and sadness, who was tapping a familiar rhythm of _4-7-8_ on Virgil’s knee. 

Roman however was worse by far, the prince having dissolved into a ball of labored breathing and hitched sobs beneath golden feathers that trembled ever so slightly in time with his sobs, reflecting small spots of light around the room. Remus had started to gently brush his hands through Roman’s feathers, murmuring something to his shaking twin in an attempt to calm him down. The only noise in the room came from those soft murmurs and the sounds of shaky breathing from multiple sides. 

Thomas sighed and looked at the group, letting his sides catch their breath and calm down as he digested the newest… developments. He glanced at Logan, meeting the logical side’s eyes. The host glanced back at the rest of them before having a silent conversation with Logan, concern causing a crease between his brows and an unsettled frown to form on his lips. 

After a few minutes Logan stood up and walked over to Remus and Roman, kneeling down next to them. “Thomas and I believe it would be best to let you two leave for a bit… this next part is clearly distressing you both,” Logan murmured, his soft tone betraying his own worry for the two. 

Roman peeked out from between his feathers and glanced at Remus and Logan, giving a miniscule nod before he hid his face again. The sight of his red cheeks and shiny green eyes still fresh with tears caused Logan’s heart to crack on sight. Never before had he seen the others so distressed;it seemed Remus felt the same as he gathered his brother in his arms and held him close. 

“Thanks,” the duke mumbled, sinking down with a small ‘ _whoosh’_ , throwing Logan a tired twitch of his lips before he disappeared. 

Logan sighed softly and stood up, a heavy feeling in his chest. Emotions were not something he enjoyed experiencing, they were messy, unfamiliar, hard to manage; but he was no stranger to the guilt that filled him from a mistake long made. 

“...Where did they go?” The soft voice made something inside Logan harden into another old feeling, rage. 

“It is of none of your concern, _Patton_ ,” he replied icely, noting Patton’s flinch at his tone out of the corner of his eye as he returned to his seat. 

When he had sat, Thomas observed the remaining group. “Virgil?” He asked softly, making the emo jump a bit, looking up. Thomas smiled sympathetically at him. “Just wanted to check how you're feeling bud,” he continued. 

Virgil swallowed a bit and nodded, picking at his sleeves. “Yeah uh.. Doing better,” he mumbled, earning a small squeeze on his knee and a smile from the side below him. “Uh... just... Could we try not to yell anymore…?” he asked, and Thomas nodded. 

“Totally,” he replied with a relieved sigh. “Jan? How about you, slimy boi?” he asked with a small smile. 

Janus chuckled weakly at the reference and nodded. “Better. It was a good call to let those two have a break,” he replied, the praise making Thomas smile a little brighter. 

“Yeah, I figured this might be a bit much for them,” he chuckled, before turning to Patton. Thomas frowned as he observed his morality, the way he had drawn into himself and hugged his arms, the slight green tint to his skin… all in all, it seemed pretty bad. 

Logan sighed. “We must continue,” He said quietly. “It is unwise to simply let this hang, as you say,” he sighed, rubbing his temples. “I will continue, if that is alright with you Thomas?” he asked, looking at their host with furrowed brows, eyes troubled. 

Thomas missed seeing Logan show his emotions… but he did not like this. The sooner this was over the better, he decided, everyone was hurting and he wanted to fix it. His sides mattered. 

“Yeah… Let’s get this over with,” he said, smiling at Logan weakly as the rest of the sides settled down for the next half of the story. Thomas had a feeling he would not like what he was to learn, if the screaming match was anything to go by.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha Hahahaha remember when I disappeared- I’m so sorry for the lateness y'all- but i didn’t stop writing!!!! So chapter 4 is already done- I just need to post not on mobile- My computer kinda died on me so I’ve only been able to post on mobile and that’s kinda hard so- yeah chapter 4 will definitely be out before September- if I can manage that


	4. And Foolish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Are all mistakes forgivable? 
> 
> Depends on what must be forgiven. 
> 
> Only Fools think all is forgivable, and thus the answer is found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Unsympathetic Patton, lying, unfinished discussions

Patton sighed, shoulders dropping as he looked up. “I… I guess it’s my turn, to tell the story…” he mumbled, voice small as he tried to give a smile, failing as his lips formed a frown. He swallowed and stared at his lap. 

“If you will, Patton… perhaps it is best we let you explain your side later… we simply aren’t there yet,” Janus spoke. He was calm, if not tired, posture sagging much like Patton’s, as if the weight of the past was a blanket over his shoulders, weighing him down. 

Thomas began to realise that was the case for everyone, all his sides, and just by proxy he was starting to feel that slump in his form, the way he would sigh and let out emotion that was so familiar and easy to express yet he still didn't fully understand. 

Logan straightened his shoulders as he fixed his tie, and Thomas copied his posture. “As previously stated, we gave each other names based on the little traits we did have before we ourselves became to change and became in a sense more “stable”,” Logan said. “However as you developed in language, age, creativity, those details became a part of a larger scheme to our personal characters.”

“For example, I was Navy. That is all I was, but as a being I was curious. As you learned I learned, as you discovered new places and new information so did I, and unlike the others I collected it. Eventually I came to the conclusion I must be your brain, it was fitting for me, and the title was something that rested comfortably in its place. Now as an adult I am Logic, the brain, your internal teacher, I am curious to learn more, I store information, it was a substantial upgrade from simply Navy,” he said softly. 

Thomas nodded in understanding, mulling over his words. “Okay… that makes sense,” he mumbled. “How does this pertain to the divide again?” 

Janus raised a brow. “He totally wasn’t about to explain that too,” he drawled, looking at his nails. Virgil nudged him with his knee, eliciting no response from the other side. 

Logan shook his head and looked away. “Yes, well… as we began to develop an understanding of our own purposes, that came with certain… revelations. The others do not share my experience simply because we all had to discover our purpose as they came up,” Logan said, looking at Virgil and Janus. 

“...When you were younger, do you remember when you took that cookie off the cooling rack after your mom said not to?” Janus asked quietly, staring at Thomas as he leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees. His yellow eye bore into Thomas’s own two. 

The host swallowed, suddenly filled with a strange crawling sensation in his chest. “I- yeah, yeah, it was after dinner, I wanted the one with the.. Uh..” he glanced down, eyes searching the carpet below his feet. “I wanted the one with the chocolate chips that looked like a perfect picture. But she caught me after I had taken a bite.”

Janus nodded and leaned back, sighing. “And you lied after, didn’t you?” he asked, tilting his head the slightest bit to the left. “That night…”

“I was panicking when mom caught us,” Virgil jumped in, playing with his sleeves. “I got scared we’d be in trouble.” 

“So I acted without thinking, and you lied,” Janus continued, unbothered. “She scolded us, of course, but we ate the cookie. After that day we figured that Virgil was Fear- when you grew scared so did he. And me? Well, I just didn’t want us to get in trouble, so Logan suggested Protection.”

“I suggested Lying,” Patton whispered, voice small. “And after that day… I really tried to make sure Janus never had to do that again…” the moral side admitted. 

“Ya know… what I said before? How time was the problem, how it was so much easier to teach you morals when you were a kid…?” His words received a nod. “Well… well at that time, when your mom told you not to lie again… I remembered that,” he said softly. 

“Patton, of all of us, is the most susceptible to the world around him; to cultural society,” Logan interjected, drawing attention away from the moral side. “Any rules you heard as a child were taken in by him, rules from school, your parents, church-”

Pattong chuckled and buried his head in his sleeves. “Oh there were so many,” he mumbled, looking up at Thomas. “And they were so simple so I guess… I guess I just assumed that they had to be true, without question,” he sighed. “It’s like I said… time was my enemy in terms of the morals I taught you to believe in…” he murmured. “And what I believed was right was that to be a good person… you couldn’t lie. You couldn’t be sacred- scared people didn’t go out and make friends. You had to be happy, creative, smart, social, caring and I-“ he paused, choking on his words. “I pushed away the things that- that hindered that for you…” 

Thomas stared at Patton, realisation dawning in his eyes. “You-“

“I separated us,” Patton breathed, pressing the balls of his palms into his closed eyes, taking a shaky breath. “And it was the worst mistake I ever made.”

Janus shifted in his seat, averting his eyes from the where they had been focused on Patton and now looked to a spot on the wall. Logan fixed his already perfect tie. Virgil didn’t look up. 

“So… so what did you do with them…?” 

“I changed the layout, and I forced Janus and Virgil to agree to the change, then I… then I got them to help me separate Roman and Remus.” Patton’s voice shook and he looked up at Thomas, his lips wobbling and eyes shining with unshed tears. “I hid them.” 

Thomas nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat, and let Patton’s words sink into his skin like a weighted blanket. He sat and listened to Patton’s muffled sobs as he cried into his sleeves, eyes focused on the ottoman in front of him. 

“...I have more questions, but for now…” the host sighed, looking up at his sides with furrowed brows. “For now, you should all go back. I… need time to process this. Tell Roman he’s free to change the layout however he wants,” Thomas stated, standing up. 

He walked to the stairs and paused, debating. His hand gripping the banister tightened as he swallowed. 

“..Thomas….”

“I can’t look at you right now Patton,” Thomas said quietly. He could almost feel the moral side’s gaze dropping from his back as he curled up. “Janus, tell me when Remus is okay to talk. Logan, tell me when Roman is.”

With those words the host disappeared up the stairs, leaving his sides sitting in a silent room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy howdy- remember when said this would be out like, before September? 
> 
> ha ha  
> ha ha  
> ha...
> 
> *checks calendar*
> 
> *Its February*
> 
> ..oops?


	5. My Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the end. 
> 
> It is time to share. 
> 
> The discussion is over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything must be taken with a grain of salt.

**Chapter 5 - My Brother**

It took a few days for Janus and Logan to confirm, on time, of how the twins stood in regards to the matter. 

Roman was, for lack of better terms, not looking forward to their discussion. Remus straight (gay) up despised the past events and wished to not speak of it again, to move on. However both did not want to leave Thomas with unanswered questions, and had agreed separately to talk to their host. 

That is why Thomas found himself in the Imagination that day, Roman and Remus letting go of his hands as he opened his eyes to view the sprawling lands before him. 

They stood atop a hill of fresh grass dotted with white wild-flowers that waved in the pleasant summer breeze. From where he stood, Thomas could see a castle waving two flags, green and red, to one side was a land where a White Castle stood, similar in shape to Cinderella’s castle, and lush forests. To the other side was an area Thomas could only describe as “classic horror” in terms of the spindling trees and grey clouds that crackled with distant thunder, lightning striking dramatically behind a black stone tower framed with thorny rose-bushes. A few more miles of land and a large lake, maybe ocean, separated the grey castle from their small group, and Thomas took one last look at the Kraken slowly emerging from the waters before turning to his sides with a small smile. 

“It’s pretty,” he said softly, his grin widening at the proud looks filling the twins eyes. 

Roman puffed his chest out. “Of course!” He replied, hand on his chest. “Only the best for your imagination, Thomathy!” He said dramatically, Virgil cracking a small smile and both Remus and Logan shared a fond look. 

“Please resist encouraging him,” Logan mumbled dryly, ignoring the offended- Princey-Noises. “Are you ready?” 

The question seemed to drop the mood, as Romans posture sagged and he turned his head away, staring at the grass. Remus stared at the soles of his shoes. Virgil swallowed his smile, drawing into his hoodie as his shoulders curled forward. 

Thomas observed Patton’s reaction- or really lack of, he barely looked up when they rose up into the field. Logan stopped, waiting for his answer, melancholy in his eyes. Janus didn’t even look at him, staring at the large grey castle with his arms crossed to his chest. 

“I’m ready,” Thomas replied. 

Roman and Remus nodded in sync, looking at each other and clasping their hands together. The world around them seemed to melt away and a new version, an old version, dripped down around them. 

The grass was still green, and the castle remained, lake and all. The imagination was larger, but the places where Roman’s Land was and where Remus’s forest of horror could be found was blurry and faded, like a watercolor painting. 

Thomas gazed at the world around him, nostalgia sweeping through his bones, and a familiar smile pulling on his lips. 

“Watch out!” 

Thomas turned, twisting, as a figure inna billowing cap ran past him, laughter ghosting the air in echoing melodies.

_ “Slow down King!” _ Someone yelled, and Thomas turned to watch as the ghostly figure of a young boy rushed past him, laughter twirling around the elder’s legs. 

_ “Only if you catch me first!” _ the boy laughed, spinning around and blowing a raspberry at another figure, who was standing in front of Virgil and Janus. 

Virgil gazed at the small purple figure with something akin to awe, Janus gazing at Curiosity with caring eyes. 

“You used to be so  _ small _ ,” Janus cooed, laughing as Virgil shoved the snake-like side away, grumbling about annoying snakes. “You were!”

“I was not!” Virgil snapped back, voice lacking malic as the emo pulled his hood over his head, trying to hide his flustered face. 

Thomas chuckled softly before his attention was drawn again to the pair of ghostly boys, as Curiosity seemed to have attempted to make good on the bet of the other. 

_ “Ah!” _ Curiosity took a running jump onto the boy, sending them tumbling down into a tangle of limbs and laughter. 

Thomas smiled, watching the two play, when it clicked. He glanced at Roman and Remus, who stood gazing at the two children in the grass with longing, fingers still clutched together. Thomas looked back at the kids, who were sitting up and playing, Curiosity watching King with wide eyes, awe and love. 

King looked like Roman, and Remus. He looked like the perfect mesh, a bright grin, brown hair with caramel highlights, dirt scuffs on his face and his clothes- a wooden sword tucked into a loop on his pants. He glowed like light shining from a crystal figure, and Thomas was reminded distinctly of the old glass windchimes hanging up in his grandparent’s house, refracting rainbows onto the wooden floorboards of the patio deck on summer mornings. 

“You two look like him,” Logan said gently, voice catching Thomas’s attention. He glanced back to see Logan smiling at the twins, a hand on Remus’s shoulder. 

“We… we do?” Remus asked quietly, voice cracking. “Are you- you’re sure we-” 

“You do,” Logan said softly. “You look exactly like him. See? There’s your smile,” He mumbled, gesturing to King as his echoing laughter filtered through the field. 

Roman gazed at the landscape, watching the sky and field, and the glow of the two old memories. Something soft and longing in his gaze made Thomas’s heart squeeze, the aching of the missing years settling into his bones. 

But watching Logan speak to the twins much like a mother would, gesturing to King and sharing soft words, answering whispered questions from thoughtful lips- it was warm. 

By sunset they were sat on the grass, speaking in soft tones together- the sides sharing stories and tales of the past to the twins and Thomas, laughter echoing in the grassy fields, though no longer the childish laughter of younger times. Janus spun tales of their adventuring, Virgil told the stories of “ _ the prince in the tower _ ”, “ _ the lightning mage _ ”, and “ _ the runaway were-cat _ ”, all of which he played in their days of childish youth. Patton told stories of softer moments, hesitant but willing to share the words of rainy days and bruises and scrapes in the mud. 

It wasn’t meeting him, the King, but it was close- and from the sunlight held in Roman’s eyes and the excited gleam in Remus’s… it was definitely worth it. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Or is it?


End file.
